IT, panacea to economic meltdown - Ndukwe

The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive (EVC), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, has said that deployment of Information Technology (IT) is the panacea for executives to scale through the current economic meltdown.

Addressing members of the Abuja branch of the Institute of Directors (IOD), last weekend at a session tagged: 2009 Information and Technology Evening, Dr. Ndukwe said advancement in modern technology has put Nigeria at par with the rest of world.

He also said that the Nigerian Directors, whether in Public or Private practice have no excuse to fail, because they have equal enablement like their counterparts in any other part of the world.

He pointed out that instead, the Directors have the advantage of the assemblage of these technologies, which if properly harnessed, could lead to efficiency and heightened productivity gains.

“The primary responsibility of Senior Executives and Directors is to run the affairs of their organizations efficiently by employing the most modern of facilities that enhance efficiency and consequently lead to better corporate performance,” Ndukwe said.

Liberalization of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry since 2001, he said, has led to widespread availability and networks, just as he enumerated some of the tools to include Blackberry, iPhone, Universal Serial Bus (USB) Modem Stick, Enterprise Application Software, Mobile Enterprise/Applications (Mobile ERP) e-Business Tools, e-hr, e-Audit, e-Banking and Internet Banking, among others, properly harnessed would lead to productivity gains and workflow efficiencies.

This, he noted, can only happen when Executives have access to their e-mails, calendars, and documents at a moment’s touch.

According to Ndukwe, a recent survey of Blackberry users, for instance, showed that on average, they recovered about 54 minutes a day, by being able to work remotely, which translates to a gain of 196 business hours a year.

As said by him, this tool, also improves workflow efficiency, because executives were able to remain fully functional members of their team while they were out of the office.

He further enlightened them on some key features of Blackberry, driven mainly by mobile technology, including integrated voice and data.

The USB Modem Stick has fully demystified the Internet technology as the enhanced stick provides it on the go.

Looking at the stick closely before the Directors, Dr. Ndukwe pointed out that the USB Modem Stick like the ones provided by all major telcos in the country presently, is “broadband on the Go.”

Powered by 3G technology, he explained that the sticks are almost identical to the data storage USB sticks, which enable the user to browse the web, send e-mails and download large files at high speed.

Arguing that no forward looking business executive can succeed without using ICT for his business, noting that even with the presence of secretaries and Personal Assistants (Pas), gone are the days when executives can successfully work without the use of ICT business tools.

“For the first time in our history, Nigeria is at par with the rest with the developed world during a global revolution. Thanks to our participation in the global telecommunications revolution, Nigerian Executives have access to the same tools employed by successful business and business Executives in the developed world. We can do what they do, access the same data that they do at the same time as when they do it,” he said.

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